Study Abroad Parent Resources
You've got them into college and now they want to study abroad. What do you do?
General Information
It is thrilling that your student is thinking about studying abroad—an exciting, once in a lifetime journey! The Center for International Programs is committed to supporting students through the process. Students are encouraged to plan early can meet with a variety of different people to begin discussing their study abroad plans; our Study Abroad Peer Mentors can give recent testimonials about their experience abroad while any of our staff can advise the students in determining which program best suits their academic needs. Our office focuses on academic year, semester or summer long programs that provide students with quality academic programs to enhance their degree.
Saint Mary's students are eligible to study abroad with a SMC-SPONSORED, EXCHANGE or NON-SMC PROGRAM. The first two programs are endorsed by the Center for International Programs office while Non-SMC programs allow the students freedom to attend a program that provides an experience, destination or field of study that our programs do not offer. All program types are available during the semester and for a full year, some are offered over the summer. It is possible, and encouraged, to study abroad more than once during a student's SMC career and students may choose any program that interests them. Below you will find more information about the differences between program types.
These programs have been vetted by Saint Mary's College of California.
- Courses transfer back one-to-one: all courses are vetted and pre-approved by Saint Mary's faculty and transferred back as SMC equivalents
- Students can take classes that count towards their major and minor requirements to ensure that they graduate on time
- There are no additional program costs: tuition and housing costs are the same on campus as they are abroad
- Financial aid and SMC scholarships travel with you: students who study on a SMC program can apply all their federal and state financial aid as well as any institutional scholarships
These programs have been vetted by Saint Mary's College of California.
- Courses transfer back one-to-one: all courses are vetted and pre-approved by Saint Mary's faculty and transferred back as SMC equivalents
- Students can take classes that count towards their major and minor requirements to ensure that they graduate on time
- There are no additional program cost: tuition costs are the same on campus as abroad but students pays housing fees on site
- Financial aid and SMC scholarships travel with you: students who study on a SMC program can apply all their federal and state financial aid as well as any institutional scholarships
In some cases, students wish to study abroad on a program that is not offered through the SMC-sponsored or Exchange programs. Please take into consideration the following notes:
- Students need to apply and be accepted to study abroad through both the Center for International Programs and their non-SMC program
- Students take a Leave of Absence from Saint Mary's for the study abroad term (Fall/Spring/Year programs)
- All federal and state financial aid travels with students but SMC scholarships do not--the SMC scholarships are, of course, available to students again as soon as they return to Saint Mary's
- Courses may not transfer back exactly as one-to-one equivalents
- Students pay a $200 non-SMC processing fee to the Business Office as part of their SMC study abroad application
ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Our Office
The Center for International Programs (CIP) is a comprehensive department that works with students, faculty, and administration in the Saint Mary’s community to provide services to international students and scholars as well as study abroad and exchange programs to the students and faculty of Saint Mary’s.
We look forward to working with your student throughout the study abroad experience and your student will be our primary contact throughout this process. Our office is happy to work with the parents, but it is ultimately your student’s responsibility to keep you informed with any information you may need in order to assist your student in studying abroad. Please review with your student any information your student may receive from our office or from your student’s study abroad program.
Please keep in mind that due to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the CIP can share very limited information with parents including, but not limited to, the status of student study abroad applications, fee payments, transcripts, and student records. Please rest assured that we will do our very best to make sure that your student will be properly prepared for studying abroad.
FAQs
We encourage you to travel to your student’s host country before or after they have completed their program, or during official university breaks which will be provided to the students during their on site orientation. We ask that you try to avoid visiting at times when students need to be in class. Parents are not allowed to participate in any student-related activities.
In order to ensure that medical support is available abroad, it is very important that your student disclose any health issues in their Health History Form during the application process. This includes, but is not limited to: medical conditions, psychological issues, learning disabilities, and eating disorders. Disclosure of such information will not affect your child’s overseas study participation and will only help staff better advise your student about their options.
Prescriptions written in the United States cannot be filled abroad, so we recommend that students bring enough prescription medication to last the entire stay overseas and discuss this in advance with their doctor and insurance provider. Ask doctors for any prescriptions (eyeglasses, allergy medicines, etc.).
Prescription medications should be carried in their original, labeled bottle with the generic name of the drug. Students should have the prescription on hand in case a customs officer requests it. Some prescriptions are not legal in other countries although you have proof of the prescription written in the United States. Check that you may bring the prescription drug(s) into the country at or at the host country’s consulate or embassy web page. Do not send prescriptions through the mail. Doing so may result in medications being withheld in Customs and legal repercussions.
We also recommend that students take an extra pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses. Students with medical problems which are not easily recognized (e.g., diabetes, allergic reactions to antibiotics or bee stings, heart conditions, epilepsy) might consider obtaining a medic alert identification tag from a doctor or pharmacy as these are internationally recognized.
Saint Mary's College of California and the Center for International Programs(CIP) office has established emergency protocols and all students at SMC-sponsored study abroad locations are covered under the provisions of these protocols. The home campus CIP office works cooperatively with our onsite host university staff to help ensure the safety and security of students overseas; however, our ability to influence emergency responses depends on the level of support available through specific programs at sites abroad. In order to prepare students for their overseas program, Saint Mary's College of California includes health and safety information in our mandatory pre-departure orientation sessions.
All students must arrive at their program location by the designated arrival date in order to attend an extensive onsite orientation, unique to each program. If you have any questions concerning Saint Mary’s College's emergency response plans, please feel free to contact the CIP office directly.
You can be comforted by the fact that there are dedicated local staff available if your student becomes ill or encounters a serious emergency. The CIP staff is readily accessible to your student at all times and has many years of experience dealing with student concerns overseas. If your student contacts you with a concern, please encourage him or her to keep the local host institution staff informed since they are best equipped to handle any situation.
Again, according to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (), the CIP staff on-campus and host institution staff abroad are not permitted to discuss issues pertaining to an individual student with parents, family, or other third parties. The student must conduct all contact directly.
All SMC-sponsored programs will be charged the same SMC tuition as if they are taking classes on campus. All other costs (i.e. housing, transportation) can differ from program to program and country to country. The exact breakdown of each program cost and details can be found on the Program Brochures which can be accessed through our Explore Your Options section of our webpage.
In most cases, financial aid will be available for study abroad participants. SMC financial aid (including merit aid) will follow your student abroad if they choose to attend an SMC-sponsored program. We offer one in house scholarship for Pell Grant recipients and offer scholarship workshops for our students. However, we encourage students to research and apply early as many scholarships have deadlines at least one semester prior to your student plans to go abroad. Please see the Scholarship information page for more information.
You should discuss communication with your student as early on in their study abroad application process as possible. While this discussion will most likely manifest differently for each family, it is important you communicate your interest in both supporting your student and giving them room to grow as an independent adult. We recommend setting a schedule for 2-3 calls per month so you can catch up and share stories without causing your student to miss out on opportunities presented to them while they are abroad.